Churchill Falls

Churchill Falls, cataract of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, 75 m (245 ft) high, on the Churchill River in western Labrador. It is part of a series of rapids and cataracts located about 320 km (about 200 mi) from the river's mouth at Lake Melville. Immediately below Churchill Falls is McLean Canyon, which is 19 km (12 mi) long. The waterfall was a spectacular sight until the late 1960s, when most of the river water was diverted to drive the turbines of the massive Churchill Falls underground hydroelectric plant, one of Canada's largest hydroelectric facilities. The waterfall has a tremendous potential for generating power. Rights to this power have caused conflict between the governments of Québec and Newfoundland and Labrador. The first European to visit the falls, in 1839, was John McLean, an official of the Hudson's Bay Company. Churchill Falls was known as Grand Falls until 1965, when it was renamed for the British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill.